TKAM Post #1 - Scout

Summer was finally over, and the first day of school awaits. Knowing that I was going to be in the first grade excited me. Except for the fact my brother Jem didn't want me to talk to him during school. I got to school and the first thing I notice is a lady around twenty, twenty one years old standing in front of the class room. I look around and quickly sit down, waiting for the teacher to say something. She starts to introduce her self, "Hi I my name is Miss Caroline Fisher, and I'm from north Alabama." I thought she seemed nice. A couple of minutes later we started reading a book, she called on me to start reading aloud; of course I had no problem with reading I knew how to.

When I was done reading Miss Caroline didn't look to happy; she told me to tell my father to stop teaching me how to read. I was very confused when she told me this because first of all my father didn't teach me how to read I just knew how too; but I knew Miss Caroline didn't believe me. Either way I don't think a teacher should get mad if one of her students knew how to read. It didn't make sense at all, I excepted more of a "Wow, great job Scout." I decided to just get over it and get the rest of the day over with, and hope things would get better. After reading it was time to go to lunch, Miss Caroline took count of all the students that had brought lunch and was about to dismiss them; but she noticed that Walter didn't have lunch. She reached into her purse and took out a quarter. I was looking attentively waiting to see what see was going to do next.

She looks at a Walter and smiles, "You can pay me back tomorrow." She looked as if she knew nothing about Walter Cunningham when she handed him the money. Walter Cunningham's family owned a farm and never took money they couldn't pay back. Of course they don't pay back with money, but with firewood and bushel of potatoes. When I started explaining all of this to Miss Caroline, she just looked at me in more disappointment as if I had given her enough trouble this morning. All I did is try to help her out knowing that shes new to the school; but how do I get repaid? I get whipped. When that day was finally over I was relieved; I got home and Atticus knew something was wrong.

We sat down and talked about how my dad had went. I thought to myself I already went through I don't feel like talking about it. At the end he ended up convincing me stay in school and try my best to stay out of trouble; even though I didn't do anything wrong. I just hope school tomorrow will turn out a whole lot better.

Immigation Reflection

The book I read is called Once upon a Quinceanera by Julia Alvarez. The book didn't interest me to much like it did to the rest of my group members, but over all I enjoyed reading it. I thought it had many good points, and I learned a lot from it. I learned how many things really have to get done in order to have a traditional Quinceanera and how things have changed now that Hispanic families share there tradition with the United States.
I liked reading this book and how we got to blog about what we thought, as well as read what my group members thought about it, which I thought was also interesting to read. I don’t think I wouldn’t change anything about it. Blogging was fun and helpful because when I normally read something all I really remember is what is ended with, but when I blog about it I look back on everything from the beginning to the end. This helped me get a better understanding on what the book is dealing with at the time. I didn’t have many problems with blogging except for sometimes having internet problems, but I learned to email it to myself and post it at school. Other than that I thought blogging was easy and fast. Having a group reading your work was helpful because they commented on it and either told you they agreed with you or told you why they disagreed with you which helped me both ways.
When it was time to work on the art piece I was going to paint I decided to have six pictures on it to symbolize what the book was about, I didn’t want to paint a picture of one object because I thought it was going to be very hard to put in all the things that go on into one picture. I think that my painting had a strong connection with the book I read because it had to deal with a Quinceanera and religion as well as family and much, much more. My final product I think came out really good, over course it could always use some improvement, but overall I liked how it turned out. Some things that I could of changed would be like, finishing some of the lines and paint the background a lot better. Getting to paint what you feel reflects on your art work, is really cool because well it’s what you think and what your thoughts are about the book. I though it was a creative fun way to express what you thought about the book instead of just writing about it.
Not only did we get to write about a book that had to do with immigration and cultures but we also got to interview someone from another country. My in person interview wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, I though it would be nerve racking and difficult but the person was really nice about everything and, in a way it was hard to get detailed answers about the question I asked but overall I thought it went really good. I enjoyed learning about her life and how she adapted to the United States after living in China for years. We were required to interview our person three times, one by email another by phone, and finally in person. I thought it was interesting doing it this way instead of just one time in person. I liked doing it this way because the person your interviewing you don’t know at all so it would be weird to meet them in person and just as them a whole bunch a questions.
The person I interviewed told me about how things were so much different in China than it was in America, like how when you had to go to the grocery store you would have to stand out side of a food stand and ask for what you wanted in order to buy what you needed, not like in America where you could just walk in a store and buy what you needed your self. I though that was interesting because I’ve never herd of it. In a way the person I got to interview gave me a better understanding on what we were learning in class then again she really didn’t give me that much of a detailed answer. I couldn’t contact my person again but I thanked her by email and made her a scrapbook that contained pictures of her family and her home town, I love scrapbooking and I though it turned out good. It also made me feel better about giving someone something back for the time she put in to tell me about her life story. Overall I really liked this project and enjoyed getting to meet someone new.

Once Upon a Quinceañera Review

Once Upon a Quinceanera, was a interesting book. I'm not sure I would recommend it, because I didn't really like most of the book. I if you like to learn about different culture and traditions, then this is the book for you. This book contains many examples of how traditions from an other country is passed on to others. This book also contains a lot of information about a Quinceanera in details. I learned a lot when reading this book. I recommend this book because you learn a lot, and it gives you a better understanding on what a Quinceanera, really is.

I would want people to read this book to learn more about how a traditional Quinceanera, has changed over the years because more and more people are immigrating here and celebrating it here in the United States. I would recommend this book because, the book is not just about a Quinceanera but, immigration and the hardships families deal with when arriving in a new country. When reading this book you'll have so many connections to the character that you'll feel as if the author is writing about you.

I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, I think that I would recommend this book to girls. Once Upon a Quinceanera, talks a lot about teen age girls, and what they go through. Mixed in with family, tradition, culture, immigration and much more. Not everyone who reads this book is going to like it, but I do know that people who read it are going to learn something new.

Overall I didn't find this book to interesting, but most parts of the book I could relate to, and a lot of parts made me think about different traditions and different people, that are out there. This book sends a message to migrated families and teen age girls. I recommend this book, and hope people learn or understand the message it sends.

Once Upon a Quinceanera

Post #6

Quote I
"Did I believe in this Q-tradition or not? Yes or no. Si y no. Back and forth. At dinner parties, I'd relate the details of some Q-extravaganza I'd just been to or heard or read about, and as my friends shook their heads and compared quinceaneras to the run ways bar and BatMatzvan, I'd find myself backtracking, wanting to defend nuestra tradicion."

Significance

I picked this quote because it has a lot of background information on the feelings that go through this characters head. She feels as if her group of friends, think a lot differently about her tradition in a way she doesn't agree on. I think that this also shows how she respeects her tradition, and that sometimes when your friends say something you don't agree on you either don't say anything or you agree with them, even though you really don't want to.

Personal Connection

This has happened to me before, and I've noticed that people agree based on what your friends say or think is right, sometimes your idea on what something is may not be something your okay with saying to a group of people who all agree on one thing. I sometime don't want to back up and defend my tradition and culture, but most of the time I feel like I have to.


Question

Did you ever feel like you have to agree with everyone else because your afraid people won't agree with your oppinion?

Quote II

"I was a part of something timeless, hard to name or contain. "Something was growing inside of me," says Estrella as her special night approaches in Estrella's Quinceanera. "A feelings I hadn't had in a long time. I was part of something bigger. I truly belonged."

Significance

Basically this quote is saying that when you are apart of something like a quinceanera, you feel something special, somthing you can't compare to anything else. The first quote I talked about how her feelings got a hold of her and, she felt as if she needed to speak up because her friends were comparing it to many things that she didn't think had nothing to do with a quinceanera.

Personal Connection

When I'm celebrating something in my tradition with my family, I feel as if we all share something special that you can't compare with anyone or anything else. I think I know how this character feels in the book because, I don't think that someone who doesn't celebrate your tradition or knows about your culture can't really agree or dissagree with what it's like because they wouldn't really know much about what it mean to celebrate something they don't and you do.

Question

Do you think Estrella was right, about her friends? How? and why?

Once Upon a Quinceanera #5

Post #5

Quote I

"The Quince Años blessing publicity acknowledges this historic role.” - Page 179


Significance

This quote stood out to me because, Monica acknowledged that most I think. Which shows that she is one of the women in the book who cares a lot about her historical background. The quote also signifies that Monica also can tell that more people grasp the tradition and culture that a quinceanera really comes out to be. Even though more girl that now live in the United States lose touch with.


Personal Connection

I can connect to this because sometimes I don't appreciate or acknowledge what my historical background really means. I just think it's there and never ask what brought our country to be like this? or why we celebrate? I always just go along with it and do what your suppose to do during that celebration. I agree with this quote because I hear from my friends that a quinceanera starts as just a party but mean so much more than what it seems, at the end.

Question

Does Monica think more girls don't know a lot about what you celebrate during a quinceanera?

Quote II

"That we can feel less alone and encouraged in our efforts to put the pieces together into a larger versions of ourselves." - Page 197

Significance

I picked this quote because at first I didn't really get what it ment at first but once reading it over, I liked what it ment. I'm not sure it means this but; I think it means that people from where we come from are still different from yourself as a person but when you learn about all of there people and understand where they come from, we all come together to me one.


Personal Connection

I like this quote because I agree with it. I think that all of us are different even though we come from all over, but at the end we have a lot more in common than what we expected. I've met a lot of people and the first time I meet them I think that we might be good friends but not have a lot of traditional or culture background similarities, but when you get to meet all these people you end up realising that they all are one visions of ourselves.

Question

Do you agree with what the second quote means?

Once Upon a Quinceanera #4

Post #4

Quote I


"In fact, she dismissed quinceaneras as silly, a waste of money." Page 139-140

Significance

I picked this quote because in the book it means a lot, everyone is now thinking differently about the quinceaneras that are being celebrated. In the beginning of the book celebrating a quinceanera was everything a family that had a Hispanic background, but after moving to the United States; everything changes people start looking at this celebration differently. They start to think in more important thing you can do with your money.

Personal Connection

I can connect to this quote because the family in Mexico, would always ask me what I'm going to do for my quinceanera? and I would always tell them that I want to use the money I got to go somewhere. My family doesn't think it would be such a good idea, but I think once you live here in the United States for a long time, it can change the way you looking at things.

Question

Do you sometimes want to change the way your families celebrations are celebrated?

Quote II

"The later soap opera popularized the Q-tradition, making it a celebration that cool, sexy girls, rich or poor might go for. " Page 151

Significance

I think that the significance of this quote is that it's again explaining how the tradtion of a quinceanera is sharing it's culture tradtion with more and more people in America. Not only girls that are hispanic and have this tradtion, but everyone who want to have one.

Personal Connection

I can connect to this because I am one of those girls, who doesn't really know the background tradition on having a quinceanera, but I always end up just wanting one because more and more girls are wanting to have one. I think that after reading this book I learned a lot more about the background tradition that goes on to have a quinceanera.

Question

Did this book change your mind on what you think a quinceanera is?

Once Upon a Quinceanera #2

Post #2

Quote I

“Finally in the summer of 1964 our fourth year in the United States, my mother gave up on punishments and threats and hired a Santana to cleanse our house.” Page - 49

Significance

The significance of this quote is I think, is a different but good way of showing the good things that can change when coming to America. It connects with Silvia having a quinceanera and becoming a woman, which also is another reason why her mother chose to make a difference and stop the punishments, and threats.

Personal Connection

I’m not sure how I can connect to this quote, but basically what I think the quote is saying, is that when coming to America things won’t stay the same, and will change but in many good ways in your life.

Question

Do you think that when you come to America things change? How? Why?

Quote II

“This new U.S world was full of strangers who smelled and looked and acted in ways so different from ours. Ways that said our ways was low-class and shameful and loud.” Page – 51

Significance

I picked this quote because it’s saying how different people are in an immigrant’s point of view. The people they see walking around looked different and acted different than what they are use to seeing where they use to live. Like the quote says, these differences might not always make them feel good about where they come from but low-class and shameful. Overall just different from everyone else.

Personal Connection

I can connect with this quote because sometimes I do feel like where my parents come from is a lot different from things in the U.S, and if I was someone who just came to America I might look at things in a bad way and think that where I come from is low-class or shameful compared to the United States, because things are a lot different.

Question
Do you sometime feel like Olga and how she feels about things in America?